


Divide The Blackened Sky

by Kaoz



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005), Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 23:05:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2891456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaoz/pseuds/Kaoz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The girl has a part to play and Badger knows exactly who's going to get her back for him. Because Badger is tired of pretending to be less than the King of Hell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

It’s a cell, she knows it is because the only way out is with the blue hands. The cell is safe. Its quiet and it doesn’t hurt. But the blue hands always hurt. And they always come. Its no use fighting because they always get what they want. They hurt her until she doesn’t know what she is, or if she even _is_.

… she dreams deep. Every single time. Of the fire and flames and its so hot she can't breathe because the air burns too. And the stench… But just when she's about to wake, when it’s the sun lighting the sky… it’s a different kind of flame. White hot and cold, blinding and suffocating. And they're the most beautiful dreams… made of light and sparks and energy. But they're angry too. Wrathful and deadly… They hurt too.

Death.

That’s what they are. Its what she will be.

One more weapon…

 


	2. The Way She Smiles

Mal is confused and not a little bit wary. The last time he dealt with Badger, the húndàn held his crew at gun point.

"Zàishuō - Say again?" Mal's frown is no deterrent, unfortunately. "You offering me a job? Why?"

"Why not?' Badger demands with his most annoyed expression yet. He rolls his eyes, emits a long suffered sigh and throws his hands up. "Because I'm offering to pay you an indecent amount of money. You lot are in dire need of it these days." He points out, rather unnecessarily, Mal thinks.

The coin certainly has Mal thinking twice about saying 'No', which is exactly the answer he should give. Right away.

But he's thinking of the gaunt faces on his boat. The haggard look they all bear, the constant worry the Alliance will catch them. One Operative has been enough warning to see the Alliance isn't about to let them get away with Miranda.

"What's the job?" Mal almost sighs. He knows this job is going to get him in some rè shuǐ, somehow its gonna hurt.

**FF**

Pacing only makes the waiting worse. He's very annoyed by the waiting he has to endure but he's looking forward to reclaiming his place.

Badger's henchmen are nervous. Their eyes following his every move. They're expecting some sort of violence and if they weren't so f-ing fragile maybe he'd indulge. But a broken human draws attention and he's not in the mood for that.

Still, this is how he's going to get back what's his, what he shouldn’t have been so quick to help loose.

_"Sad little King on his sad little hill."_

Oh, he knew it then.  It just took a little longer to find her.

**FF**

Mal's still not sure this is a job for them but the coin is good and they are in serious need of coin. The problem his crew has is the fact this coin is coming from Badger and their history with the little rat.

"How's it lookin'?"

River hasn't said a word. Now all eyes turn to her, waiting for the answer to the Capts question.

She could tell them it ends badly and they'll believe her. She's a reader and knows these sorts of things. They wouldn't know if she lied...  But she can't see it clearly. Not all of it but she knows where and how and when. She's not sure how it ends…

"You can save her from the dark." She looks at her brother because he's the one. Its his part to play. "The light wants her too. They'll break her.... " she looks at Mal and feels sad for her. "She belongs with him."

Silence. They don't get what she means but that's alright. They don't have to understand because they have the answer they want.

"Right." Mal sighs and turns to Simon. "Nín shì dá."

**FF**

The 2 crates arrived the same day Simon turned over his list. Indispensable items if this plan is going to work. At least he hopes they won't be caught right away. He remembers clearly how close it had been when he rescued River. Things are different now, they'll know his face everywhere.

"So this is gonna fix it so they don't know it's you?" Jayne tosses the silver canister from one hand to the other. It makes Simon nervous because what's inside is fragile and he doesn't think Badger is going to like having to get them a second batch.

"Yes." He holds up a hand and waits for Jayne to hand over their disguises. "Its painful and temporary."

"Why's it got to hurt for?" Jayne scowls. He doesn’t like the hurting bit at all.

"The formula is basically rearranging your DNA, shifting cells to form a different pattern than it has." Simon always has difficulty simplifying his explanations but he's become used to it now. "It hurts because your cells have been programmed for the face you have now. Its like forcing a square peg into a round hole. "

Jayne has his 'Hell No, you're crazy' face.

"Sort of." Simon amends because the square peg wouldn't ever fit but their faces are definitely getting rearranged for a few hours.

"I ain't going." Jayne turns on his heel and mutters about liking his face just fine and how no job is worth getting disfigured on purpose. "And what if it don't wear off?" What he's gonna look like then? The thought makes him even more adamant about staying far from the doc.

**FF**

Wash keeps reaching towards his face and stopping halfway. It definitely feels strange, like he's … tilting, sort of.

Zoë's staring at him too. She's got her thinking face and then a slight twinkle in her dark eyes, Wash is very familiar with that particular expression.

"What's the name of this, Símon." Zoë glances at him over her shoulder. "I might have need of some more. For… _special_ … occasions." She smiles at Wash and he's not sure if the twitch in his pants is worth the pain.

"Honey, that’s not the kind of pain I like." Wash is trying not to whine because he kinda likes the pain she inflicts when they're all alone.

"Oh, no. No, no. I don’t need to hear anymore." Mal shakes his head and shudders. "Méiyŏu. Not another word." He orders walking past them and into the shuttle. "River," he finds her perched on a crate. "You don’t go out. Stay _in_ the shuttle. Nǐ míngbái?"

River replies with a roll of her eyes. He's having second thoughts about her going but she's the only warning they'll have when things start going bad.

"Leave the kidnapping to your brother and Wash." Mal orders.

"I thought it was a rescue." Wash frowns his new face at Mal.

"It’s a job." Mal states firmly. "We got coin to get this girl for Badger and that’s what he's gonna get."

"We still don’t know what he wants her for." Wash grumbles as he moves towards the cockpit. "Are we into the slavin' business now? Because if we-."

"You just get my shuttle back in one piece." Mal cuts in with a scowl. "And don’t forget to bring the girl. Got paid for her already." He grumbles under his breath and heads out of the shuttle.

**FF**

_Its time_

She startles awake, wide eyes flitting around the sterile room. "Its time." Her voice is but a whisper. Softer than the clink of metal that keeps her in the chair. She breathes and stares straight ahead. The voices all jumbled in her ears and she starts to pick them out. Its easier once they're closer.

_The way she smiles…_

**FF**

"What's that?" Wash glances over to where River is hidden in the hatchway. He's trying not to scratch but his face itches something fierce.

"The quiet things that no one ever knows… the way she smiles… there's beauty in the broken…" River steps into the cockpit and tucks herself into the corner wearing a soft smile as she stares out the window.

"Right… okay." Wash gives her the thumbs up and turns back to the controls. He's got a job to do and no time to screw it up.

_"We need to go!"_

"Go?!" Wash squaks, sits up all startled to hear the urgency in Simon's voice. "Oh please, please. Tell me you're clear. Please!" he begs as the shuttle powers on.

_"I am."_

"You? What do you mean _you_?" Wash winces and swats at his face but his left side is puffing up strangely. "Símon? How long was this face supposed to last?"

 _"Longer than it has."_ Símon grunts and then his voice wobbles. _"We really need to go. Now!"_

"Then get here!" Wash' voice breaks and both hands slap on his face as the skin starts to slip. "Before my face falls off! Argh!"

**FF**


	3. She Looks So Perfect

_"…where in the gorram… ship ha…Wash!"_

They can't make anything out of the static coming through the Comm. and he doesn’t have the time to figure it out.

"Get strapped in!" Wash calls over his shoulder. He can't help but look at the girl refusing to get in the cryo chamber. She looks confused and lost but strangely, she doesn’t look scared at all. Her dark hair reaches past her waist. Her white suit is smudged with blood he doesn’t even want to speculate as to how it got on her.

"Please, you have to lie down-." Símon doesn’t have any luck as she backs away from him and River is just watching them.

"She's talking to angels." There's a soft whisper, like a buzzing in her head. River can hear just a whisper of what they're saying but can't make out the words.

Símon frowns but River's words draw the girls attention.

"…Angels…" she echoes, gray eyes studying River who slowly approaches her. They reach out as the shuttle lifts off and hold on, never breaking eye contact. "Shadows…and light. They are warriors meant to protect but they want to destroy."

Símon lurches over to the girls, his arms going around them both. "Let's take our seats-."

"Wot's this?"

Símon is shocked by the appearance of Badger. He looks around, trying to figure out where he came from. "How did you-? Where-?"

"You were supposed to get the girl." Crowley scowls at Símon. "Not fly about the city getting shot at." He looks at her and smiles. "Not bad." She's a pretty thing; especially covered in blood and the prospect of what she'll do for him… oh. "No… not at all."

"Badger-."

"He isn't." River cuts in, her eyes narrowed on the King of Hell.

"Time to go." Crowley rubs his hands together. "Wasn’t planning on the extra weight but this'll work out."

The girl draws back, she pulls out of River's grasp and shoves Simon's arm off her. The temperature drops and their breaths puff out in little white clouds. A scream is torn from her and the black fog spewing from Crowley slowly fills the shuttle. They all panic; Símon ordering Crowley to stop whatever he's doing and River backs off, babbling about monsters and hell.

That’s exactly where Crowley wants to go. He's on his way to take back his throne.

**FF**

It’s the boom that reverberates through the house making it rattle and groan that has them grabbing weapons.

"Where's it comin' from?"

"That was outside."

The back door screeches as they hurry. All eyes turned to the sky and the black smoke following the bright burn streaking through the clouds right over their heads.

"What the…hell?"

"Uh… spaceship?"

The ground shakes and a larger cloud of black smoke billows up from behind the tree line in the distance.

"I don’t want to say what I saw but," Bobby turns to the brothers. "That aint normal."

"We all saw it." Sam nods his head as if assuring them all they aren't crazy. "That … was a space ship."

"Whoever's flying it… they might need help." Dean still hesitates. He's been going after monsters his whole life but this… aliens?

**SPN**

It’s a jarring and painful experience. He can feel himself tearing and stretching and fighting being pulled apart. There's nothing.  Not a single glimmer of light or sound. That’s the eerie bit, the lack of sound. Because he can't hear himself screaming and he is. Screaming from the pain and it wasn’t supposed to hurt. Was it?

"Sir?"

Crowley blinks. He drags in a breath and the familiar sulfuric air envelopes him.

"Sir."

He looks around, the moist brick and stone hall. He runs his hands over the smooth wood of his throne and down at his shiny black leather shoes.

"Sir."

"What?!" he glares at the demon insistently calling for his attention. He wants to smile as it takes a hurried step away from him.

_"I'm back."_

**SPN**

Bobby just stares at the wreckage pretty much in his back yard. The little valley where the ship came to …'land' has caught fire here and there. Sam is the first one out, the extinguisher put to use on those fires while Dean makes his way towards the metal wreck.

Bobby gets his own extinguisher and works his way behind Dean, putting out fires and sparking wires. He's trying not to think about how a space ship crashed near his home and why the government hasn’t come to stop them from 'disturbing' the crash.

"You see anything…?" he wants to say anything that looks like a little green alien but just can't.

"Got a door." Dean calls over his shoulder. "Sort of." He amends and starts to kick at the tear in the metal. There's a threatening groan and shudder under his feet. Dean pauses, waiting for the ship to settle. He grabs his flashlight when it does and gets to his knees, peering into the darkness inside. There's sparks of lights but nothing else he can see. "I'm going in." he calls to Bobby who nods.

Bobby watches Dean disappear inside.

"Don’t think there's any fires left." Sam says as he jogs towards the ship. "Dean?"

"He's inside." Bobby juts his chin in the direction of the ship. He watches Sam hurry and get caught  trying to squeeze through.

"Dean?" Sam calls softly. He stumbles over a crate and smacks his head on a sharp edge. "Ah!"

"What?" Dean's light bounces as he makes his way to Sam. "Watch your head, sasquatch." He growls and there's a trail of blood running down from Sam's temple.

"You find any… thing?" Sam ignores the verbal jab.

"Not yet, try not to bleed all over the place and help me look." Dean gives Sam one more look before moving towards the back of the ship. He stumbles over a large crate. It beeps and sparks short out the circuit that emits spirals of white smoke. His light catches something brightly colored and goes back. It’s a flower print and the higher the light goes the more he can see the shape of the girl. She's half hidden under someone else and Dean calls for Sam.

"Found someone!" Sam calls back and he's struggling to drag the blond man from the tangle of wires and circuits. He hefts him up and gets him on his shoulder. Sam makes his way slowly towards the shaft of light coming through the crack they used as a door. "Bobby!"

Outside, the echo of boots thunk on the metal and his shadow blocks the light. "I'm here."

"I found someone. I think Dean found someone else too."

"Aliens?" Bobby sounds incredulous as well as hesitant to even use the word.

"Uh, no." Sam kinda wants to laugh but he'd been thinking the same thing. "They're hurt, Bobby. I need a rope, to lift this guy out."

"Alright. Hold on."

Sam can hear him moving off and glances to the flicker of Dean's flashlight at the other end. "Dean?"

"I've got two more. Girl and a guy." Dean's voice echoes. He doesn’t see any marks on them, nothing to suggest they’ve been hurt. But they aren't responsive either. So far he hasn’t found anything strange about them as in 3rd limbs or green skin… He's careful lifting the guy off the girl, checking for a pulse on both of them.

At the other end, Sam ties the rope around the guys torso and helps Bobby pull him out of the wreck. Once clear, Sam heads over to Dean and then his light is skimming over them both.

"Anyone else?" Sam breathes.

"Don’t know. Take the girl. I'll look at the end." Dean moves towards the back of the ship but he doesn't go more than a few steps before the entire thing groans and shudders. Something loosens and a moment later metal dings and sparks shoot out from his left over his head. Dean hunches down, arm raised to cover his face but nothing else falls.

"You ok?" Sam calls. He's got the girl in his lap, half covering her from the sparks that zip and sprinkle over them.

"Yeah, get them out." Dean keeps to the wall, he gets snagged twice but the second time he yanks himself lose he stumbles. That groaning rumbles the length of the ship and Dean feels it jump up then drop.

Bobby stops his forward dash as the tail end detaches and throws up a cloud of dirt. The boys are still inside. "Sam! Dean!" Something else pops loudly and the wing thunks into the ground.

Dean can hear them. Sam assuring Bobby they're both ok after he gets a reply from Dean. They don’t need the flashlights, not when the sun is pouring in through the broken halves. It catches a shimmer of white not far from Dean's spot. There are more wires and a crate obstructing his view but he's pretty sure that’s a leg.

He crawls forward, careful not to put pressure on anything that might be on top of whoever is stuck underneath. The wires he yanks on are dead, the crate is some plastic bin, thankfully empty so its easy to shove aside. What he finds … Dean carefully picks his way over the girl. She's laid out on her side, face covered by her bent arm. She's in a shimmering white suit and it feels soft, when he runs his hand over the material its smooth. He grabs her arm and carefully lifts it from her head. He checks for a pulse and finds it strong, like the other two he found.

"Hey, Dean." Sam calls, he's outside peering in from the open end.

"Got a girl." He calls over his shoulder and turns back to her. He smoothes the dark strands out of her face and there's not a scratch on her.

She looks so perfect. Like some statue in those fancy books of Sam's from school. She could've been … he's not sure what but when he touches her face there's a spark of electricity. It doesn’t hurt but he sees the soft glow and feels it.

**SPN**

Zoë has no luck locating the shuttle.

"What do you mean; not there." Mal demands. "My shuttle aint just gone."

"I mean there's no signal. There's nothing." Zoë scowls, anger in her words and she's worried. Wash wasn’t supposed to be on that shuttle.

"Wash!" He yells into the Comm. "Where the hell is my shuttle? Wash!"

He can clearly see where his shuttle was last on the screen and that its not anymore. The Comm. is only static, dead air.

"They're fine." Kaylee's soft voiced assurance is tentative. "They are, you'll see."

Mal drops the Comm. He's gonna find out what the dìyù happened to his crew and his shuttle. And he's gonna ask Badger.

**FF**


	4. When The Smoke Is Gone

Bobby hasn’t said a word since they put the four strangers in cots. They could smell it. The stench was all over the ship and neither of them is able to explain what a demon was doing with a spaceship.

"I mean," Sam breathes out a heavy sigh. "Demons in space?" he sounds ridiculous and knows it but no one is laughing.

"We checked." Dean shakes his head, eyes scowling at the floor. "They didn’t react. Not one of 'em." But they're all staying in the panic room in the basement.

"You idjits notice how they aint dressed like no astronauts?" Bobby demands. "Don’t remember there being any girls in the space program either." And he's not being a chauvinists because he's got no problem with women taking on careers others might say can only be had by men. But those two girls … they just don’t look old enough.

"Jail bait 1 & 2." Dean snarks though he's lacking humor. "No space suits," though the girl in white isn't dressed like the other one. "Nothing in the ship either but some crates… the one in the suit." He looks at Sam who nods agreement.

"Some sort of military… maybe from a foreign country?" he shrugs, none of the markings popped up on the net when he searched. And none of them have ID's so…

"Where's the damn suits?" Dean glares at them. "A ship just crashed in your back yard, Bobby. How come there's no men in black comin' to take it away and cover up the whole thing?"

"Demons." Bobby doesn’t know what else explains the lack of activity. They know it’s the only explanation that makes sense.

"Occam's Razor." Sam mutters.

**SPN**

When the smoke is gone all she can see is the black and the stars and the infinite verse. She's floating through it, the endless silence, the cold brushing over her skin and through her hair.

She's unaware of time, she doesn’t care. Its nice in the dark, quiet and calm… Better than the constant noise from before.

The before; the sterile white walls, the cold floors, the heavy smell of antiseptic and ammonia, the clink of metal and the beeping and whirring of machines…

There are bright flashes in the distance. Sporadic bursts that echo in the black. It brings their voices, louder and clearer than they'd been before. She can recognize them, the anger that sparks as bright as their light. It burns but there's nowhere to go, to get away or hide.

She makes herself small, curls into a ball and focuses on her next breath. She pushes their insistent voices out of her head but they're so loud… everything hurts.

**FF**

Wash is moaning in the corner where he slipped off the cot and landed on the cold floor. He can barely see, everything is blurry and multiplied. "Ahh, shén yàng, this is worse than Jayne's fire water."

He twists around slowly, careful not to open his eyes completely or move his head in any way that will make the pounding drums get louder. "Símon?"

The doctor is only a few feet away, laid out close to River and their stolen cargo. Its River who sits up suddenly, wide eyed and gasping.

"Its alright…" Wash tries to focus on where they are, which he can tell is no longer in the shuttle. "Nantekotta wǒ… doesn’t look like any jail I've seen. Not that I've seen that many. Could ask Zoë and Mal…" he drops his head into the cot and utters a colorful string of curses.

River slips off her cot and lightly rests her palm on Símon's chest and then on his head. He shifts under her touch, eyes fluttering open only to close on a groan.

"Wake up." She orders standing back as he starts to focus on where they are. "They'll come down soon."

"They?" Wash looks up then winces as his head starts to hurt again.

River ignores them both and moves towards the corner and the girl they stole from the blue hands. She pauses, stares. Her eyes skim over the white suit stained in blood. Its an echo of the suit they made her wear. She slips into the cot, sitting with her feet tucked beneath her and stares, ignoring the others.

Símon slowly sits up, he tests his limbs before sitting on the edge and taking a look around the room. "Is this jail?" he wonders. Considering the company he's been keeping, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Wash just shrugs. "Woke up here, same as you." He picks his head up from the cot and blearily squints at Símon. "Don’t suppose you have anything for my head…." That’s enough to get Símon on his feet, hands reaching to examine the other man.

The screech of metal draws their attention to the door that opens. The man standing on the other side is flanked by two others. Símon straightens up, his hands falling away from Wash.

"Nín hǎo." There's a slight tilt of his head in greeting, its then he notices the weapon in the older man's hand come up. "We mean no harm."

There's a derisive snort as all three men step into the room. Sam sets the tray down on the table and looks around, his eyes rest on River for a long moment.

It’s the faint echo of memories she can hear rattling in his head that gets her attention and she glances at him.

"We…" Símon has to force himself not to move, to block River from their view. "…uhm."

Dean notices the fidgeting and follows the sidelong glance to the girl in the flower dress they pulled from the wreck. Her dark eyes are resting on Sam and the fool is staring at her too, this slightly confused expression on his face.

"You gonna tell us what the hell kind of space ship crashed in my back yard?" Bobby demands in his gruffest, grumpy-old man tone.

"Crashed?" Wash scowls from his position on the floor. "I don’t 'crash'." He fumbles his way into a sitting position on the cot with Símon's help.

"We're sorry if there's been any damage to your property." Símon keeps a careful eye on the guns both men hold in plain sight.

"Right." The third man scoffs. "Start talking. And I don’t mean some story about aliens and spaceships."

Símon frowns. His glance straying to River who gracefully stands up and makes her way towards the trio.

"Stop." Dean orders, his colt aimed at her head. "Not another step, sweet heart."

"Dean." Sam reproaches and his look says he's being a jerk not to mention over reacting.

Símon has a moment of panic seeing the slight tilt of his little sisters head as she studies the blond man.

"The dead don’t stay dead here." Rivers eyes lock onto Sam again, completely ignoring Dean. And his gun.

"Please!" Símon takes an aborted step forward seeing the tension in Dean's face. "She doesn’t mean any harm."

"River's just a little wonky in the brain." Wash adds as he flops onto his side with groan. "Is the ship spinning?" he mutters. "Whole place feels off. Hey Doc? Símon?"

"Its fine, Wash. Just lie still." Símon turns him onto his back and makes a quick examination, wishing he had the med kit and looks up. "I had a red bag. In the shuttle. Were you able to retrieve it?"

"Dude," Dean is scowling, upset they don’t seem to be taking the threat of a bullet seriously. "I'm not your fucking bell hop."

"They're hurt." Sam frowns at Dean. He moves around and grabs the first aid kit he then holds out to Símon. It’s the confused expression on Símon's face that makes them glance at each other in question.

"First Aid kit." Bobby says with a nod at the box Símon hasn’t taken. "We cleaned you up best we know how."

"Yes, well…" Símon offers a smile and takes the banged up metal box, still unsure of what he's going to with it. "If I could just get my med bag…"

"You're a doctor?" Sam looks at Wash, laid out with his eyes scrunched shut.

"Yes." Símon answers with a hint of hesitation. He hasn’t forgotten the time he was taken because of it. He doesn’t want that happening again and so far, by the looks of the men… well, what else is he to believe?

"Brilliant doctor." River pipes up. "A bright future. If only…" she trails off seeing his sad look and wishing it could have been different for him.

"If only." Dean scoffs. "You get caught using? Or writing prescriptions to rich ladies for pills they don’t need? You one of those quaks likes cutting into people?"

"That's barbaric." Símon frowns.

"Don’t care." Bobby cuts in. "Who the hell are you?"

"What are you?" Dean corrects.

**SPN**

The first thing mal notices is the lack of movement. there’s a stillness that makes him antsy and not in the good way. Its a faint echo of his time in the war, so he's slow going forward, hand resting on his weapon. Zoë picks up on it too. Her shotgun in hand, she walks a pace beside mal as Jayne brings up the rear.

The first body is broken, like a marionette, limbs askew, all at odd angles.

“How’s that happen?” Jayne wonders as he spots the body, tilts his head trying to figure out how to get someone to look that way.

“There’s another body.” Mal frowns, he steps past and really looks around but nothing is out of place. He stares at the two bodies, broken and twisted up like someone grabbed them and decided to rearrange their limbs.

“This ...Sir?” Zoë scowls, fear threads her tone and she knows he can hear it. They can't get answers from Badger if he isn’t there and right now, Zoë is happy they didn’t find him.

“What the dìyù happened here?” Mal mutters under his breath.

“Maybe it aint smart to stay and find out.” Jayne motions to the exit, Vera gripped in his hands.

“This place reeks.” Zoe sniffs delicately but the rotten smell persists.

“Lets go.” Jayne commands. He doesn’t wait, just moves towards the exit and if they stay well…

“Badger aint concerned with keeping a clean house.” Mal looks to the bodies one last time, confused as to how the human body can be made to bend like that. “Come on.” he starts after Jayne. “There’s more than one rock he’s hiding at. I  aim to find it.”

**FF**

She's found some peace, a quiet corner in the dark to call her own. She can hear them like far off whispers and ignores them. Its become an insistent buzz she can pretend not to hear.

_You don’t belong here._

This light isn't so bright nor does it burn. She wonders why and quickly gets her answer; a series of pictures, each a gory nightmare of blood and pain.

_Yeah, my brother can be a jerk._

The apology feels somewhat sincere but mostly there's a sense of amusement to it. She doesn’t understand. All she knows is what they’ve taught her. Killing isn't supposed to be fun.

_Of course its not. There should be a purpose… in our case, mine anyway, I was following orders. Until I didn’t want to anymore._

There's another image, a man standing in a crowd but alone. It’s a lonely image that feels sad. A contradiction of the soft light slowly enveloping her.

 _You're not supposed to be here. This place… you have purpose and power. That’s what they need._ You're _what he needs._

The dark becomes gray. The whispers become voices and the girl is waiting. She's been patient long enough.

**SPN**


	5. Song of Sanctuary

He's not at all pleased with the way things are happening. The Leviathans have come and been dispatched by the Winchesters so Purgatory is no longer an option. All of that hard work and effort into twisting the angel to his side and for what?

"This aint the way, no, no." he mutters under his breath as he walks the empty halls of his castle. He looks around with disgust and doesn't understand why he's in Hell.

"…King of Hell…"

Yes.

He is.

But Crowley doesn't like being in Hell. Which is why he'd always had a base topside.

"Yet here I am." He scowls at his surroundings. "In Hell!" he can barely refrain from kicking at the wall.

SPN

Space.

Yup, that's the story and all three of them were sticking to it. No deviation-well, aside from their own personal stories, it was all pretty much the same.

"So…" Dean has this look on his face, like he's not sure what he's supposed to think and annoyed by all of them.

"Ó yé," Wash sighs, just slightly annoyed himself. He's not seeing what's so difficult about a spaceship, or in this case, a shuttle.

Símon is still trying to figure out what sort of people they're dealing with. What he's seen of the domicile, its all so… "Your…library." He hesitates to even call the disarray of books and papers by that but he doesn't know what else to use. "Its…"

"I've got my own system." Bobby snaps.

"Uh-huh." Wash eyes the room with its old fashioned desk by the fireplace and the antique shelves spewing books and documents. "Its like some tónghuà bǎnběn of Earth-That-Was."

"A what from where?" Dean's eyes narrow on the weirdo says he didn't crash a spaceship into their backyard.

"He meant no disrespect." Símon quickly jumps in. "He's still unwell. From the crash." He adds.

"Gāisǐ de, how many times do I need to say it?" Wash scowls. "I don't crash."

Dean snorts at that statement which makes Wash even more defensive.

"Earth that was…?" Sam cuts in before they can start arguing.

"Uh, yes." Símon eyes the group, unsure of his next move but asks them anyway. "Where are we?" he sees Dean's look of annoyance and clarifies. "I mean, what planet?"

Bobby frowns, the Winchesters look at each other and the question the Hunters have is pretty much the same.

"This is Earth That Was." River looks away from the window and turns to Símon. "The snake wants his throne."

Símon shakes his head 'No' and moves towards her.

"This is Earth." Dean states. "Not was. It still is."

"Méimén." Wash sits up with a sort of laugh that dies when he sees the serious expression on their faces. "Earth…?"

"I'm damn sure the government can't hide people in space," Bobby scowls at Wash and then Símon and River. "Aint no how it wasn't gonna be leaked."

"So, what?" Dean frowns. "You're gonna believe this load of bull?"

"Do you have another explanation?" Sam didn't know what to believe but he couldn't deny what they'd seen.

"…yeah!" Dean exclaimed. "Demons. What else?" because hadn't they smelled it? The whole crashed spaceship reeked of it.

"Uh, demons?" Wash looked skeptical. "Shì tāmen suǒwèi de Reavers?" he turned to Símon.

"Hey, Crash & Burn." Dean snapped. "Wanna say it in English?"

Wash scowled. "I don't crash."

"There's some type of space ship in my back yard says otherwise." Bobby pointed out. "Now, what happened in that space ship 'afore you crashed." He pointedly looks at Wash who narrows his eyes but otherwise refrains from denying it. Again.

"Badger was there." Símon looks at the men from Earth-That-Was. He doesn't know if they're telling the truth, doesn't know where they are but he knows that what happened in the shuttle just…couldn't. He doesn't know how to rationalize Badger just appearing in the shuttle or anything that happened from that point. Símon needs an explanation. Anything he can use to rationalized what just couldn't have happened.

"Listen," Dean doesn't bother masking his annoyance with them. He has other things to worry about, as in locating the First Blade but he's now stuck with the aliens that apparently don't crash. "I don't care about your friggin pet. Who keeps a badger anyway?"

"Not a pet." River drops the skirt of her dress and moves to sit on the arm of the couch, head slightly tilted as she stares at Dean and then looks at Sam.

"Uh, Badger," Símon jumps in when he sees them paying too much attention to his sister. "He's the one who- uhm." He thinks better of saying they got paid to break-out the girl still locked in the basement. "Someone Mal, the Capt. of our ship, has on occasion taken jobs for."

"Uh-huh." Dean has a pretty good idea of what kinds of jobs they are but he's going to wait on calling their shit. Again.

"He wanted the girl." Wash blurts out. "He paid Mal to get her for 'im."

Símon glares and Wash shrugs his shoulders. "What, wǒmen bùshì guǎnggào wǒmen de fànzuì shēnghuó fāngshì?"

"You kidnapped the girl?" Bobby's quiet tone draws their attention and Wash looks nervous.

"No." he shakes his head and sort of laughs. "We…"

"She didn't belong to them." River answers and again draws their attention.

"So you…rescued her?" Sam ignores the eye-roll and scowl from his brother. River doesn't bother to answer, just stares at him and it makes Sam nervous.

"He could've used some tech to get on-board." Símon is still trying to figure out how to explain what he saw.

"Dude," Dean snaps at him. "You had a demon in your space-ship."

Wash rolls his eyes again and plops on the couch then looks to Símon. "Rúguǒ zhè shì tāmen suǒwèi de Reavers zài zhège xīngqiú shàng wǒ shuō wǒmen dédào dìyù hé kuài."

"There aren't any." River assures. "They wont make them, not yet."

"Enough with your funny talk." Dean orders.

"Chinese." Bobby glares back at the expressions on the boys. "What." He barks. "Far's I can tell, its some variation."

"They don't look Chinese." Dean frowns eyeing them. "Nothing Chinese in the space-ship. Or those boxes-."

"You scavenged our shuttle?" Wash looks affronted.

"That piece of shit that's now scrap metal since you crashed?" Dean hooks a finger over his shoulder. "Yeah. What are you gonna do about it, Crash & Burn?"

"Look," Sam moves towards Bobby, ignoring his brother and the funny little man having a fit. "There's no way the government isn't going to show up here. I mean…" he lets out a huff of breath and runs both hands through his hair. "Dean's right. There should be government SUV's and men in black suits. We can't just assume demons are going to cover this up. And what for? I mean-." He frowns at River's slightly scared expression.

"Crowley." Bobby shrugs at their disbelief. "He don't want it found." He looks at the 'aliens'. "Or its some other sum'bitch with the mojo, wants somethin' from 'em."

"Angels?" Sam wonders.

"Tiānshǐ?" Wash laughs and drops back into the couch. "That face shift thing." He shakes his head. "It shifted my brain too, didn't it Símon?"

"That's not possible." Símon assures.

"Like spaceships." Dean interjects. "Cus those are just ready to hop into at any space-ship rental. You just fly them out there…"

"Yes, that's what space-ships do." Wash stands up. "We flew our shuttle, that's the one in your back yard, and no! I didn't crash!"

It's River who gracefully gets off her perch on the arm of the couch and stands quietly staring towards the basement door, who draws them from the conversation about how spaceship's don't just crash in someone's back yard without someone crashing them.

Simon walks towards. "River?" He lays a gentle hand tentatively on her shoulder.

"She's awake." There's a soft smile on her face as she glances up at her brother.

"The… you mean the girl?" Simon gets a nod of confirmation and then River heads towards the door with Dean loudly demanding she stop and Sam right behind him telling Dean to calm down.

"Don't mind me." Wash calls to them and lays back on the couch to close his eyes. "Wǒ huì zài zhèlǐ xiūxí."

SPN

There's a quiet buzz when she wakes. The light stings just a bit and as she turns her head feels the aches in her body protesting movement. She grips the blanket she's laying on, the fibers scratchy under her fingers. The creak of metal from the springs makes her wince, it's so loud and then its quiet again. She takes a breath and slowly exhales, fingers loosening their grip on the blanket. She blinks and focuses on the slowly turning blades of the fan, the flicker of light and the steady beat of her heart.

She remembers what he said, the golden glow of light that had once been an angel.

'Angels?'

She knows exactly what they are. Like she knows this place is not where they had been. It's not the same time but the war is still the same. It's a race to change what is, at least what was from where they came.

She struggles to sit since the room spins slowly and she closes her eyes trying to keep her insides from spilling outside. With a deep breath she stares straight ahead and listens. There's a soft murmur of voices. All muffled by the metal and screech of the fan. She knows there's 3 from here and the 3 from where they came. There's no sign of the 4th. The one of smoke ad sulfur, the snake with wings…

She finds the door is locked.

Open it

She places her palm flat on the door and slowly moves it over, accompanied by the screech of metal until it clangs. With a light shove the door swings open and the dirty hall is empty but their voices are louder now.

That first step scares her.

She knows what she is and why she's been 'taken'. There's a purpose for her creation, a war to fight… She moves towards the stairs trying to decide if it's better to leave than it is to do what she's meant to do? It's all there, the things she knows have to be but she can see all the things that were that no longer are.

'It has already changed.'

"This is Earth That Was."

She knows the girls voice, heard it when they came to get her. She'd said they'd all go on a trip together and then he'd been there, right in front of her asking if she could walk. Could she understand him?

"The winged snake wants his throne but he wants what was to be something different."

"It's already something else." River's tone has a sadness to it. It's obvious she knows that if the past changes then the future they've just left will no longer be.

The door opens and the stairs creak with the stomp of heavy steps. The first one she sees stops and scowls at her. He's upset she's out of the locked cage that's no longer locked.

"Who opened the door?" Sam comes down the stairs but stops beside his brother. The girl they carried out of the crash stares back at them. Her dark hair mostly out of the messy braid, strands she slowly brushes out of her face. They notice the color of her eyes and the delicate features of her face, the barely there blush to her cheeks and lips. To the smudges of blood on her white suit.

"Who do you think?" Dean snaps because they all know who had let Sam out of the same room. He forces his scowl toward Sam with some difficulty and decides not to acknowledge his attraction to jail bait 2. She's just the right combination of delicate and innocent, only he knows there's gotta be a lot more to the girl. It's the more that he finds himself interested in.

"I opened it." She doesn't look afraid but inside she has this knot of tension just standing there. She doesn't have to tell them about the angel in the black. She doesn't have to say anything at all…but… She wants to help him. The one hiding behind anger…

"You." Dean doesn't like that one bit. "And what are you, then?"

Sam gives him that look; You're being a jerk.

Which earns the replying expression of; Bite me, Sasquatch.

They notice her soft smile, eyes bouncing from Dean to Sam and back.

"Uhm," Sam looks uncomfortable but they're saved by River and Simon.

"River, méiyǒu. Wǒmen bù zhīdào shìfǒu Tāmen kěyǐ xìnrèn."

"It's alright, Simon." She skips down to the basement and smiles when she's almost to the bottom.

"What…" Dean scowl's at River, completely ignored as she holds out her hand. "…?" He startles when their uncaged bird slips between him and Sam and takes River's hand. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

River looks at him like he's supposed to know the answer, which only makes them even more distrusting of the strangers from the crashed spaceship.

"Boys!"

SPN

Crowley hides the surprise at finding the house still up, not charred and its owner still upright and on both legs.

'Things are not how I left them.'

"Bobby!" he smiles and strides into the living room. He ignores Wash and Símon coming back from the kitchen area.

"What are you doing here?" Wash jerks upright and points. "Nǐ zěnme zhīdào wǒmen bèi kùn? What are you wearing?" He looks over Badgers new threads, very clean and black and shiny-. "Méiguānxì, we need to contact Mal. These crazy-."

"Crowley!" Sam's yell draws their attention.

"Moose!" he grins, he's actually happy to see Sam. "You're still alive. Does this mean-?"

"What are you doing here?" Sam demands, he's ready to kill the King of Hell and damn the First Blade.

"Now, now, Moosie." Crowley tisks. "Your brother wouldn't be too happy if anything… permanent happened to me." He's pretty sure there's been some quality time spent with Dean, travelling the country, pit stops at dive bars, just two guys on the road… After all, the Leviathans have been dispatched. He casts another glance at Bobby clearly still breathing and walking.

"Oh, that explains the stench fowling up Bobby's place." Dean steps past Sam and grabs the demon knife from his back.

"Dean!" Crowley's smile falters and he looks around. "So nice to see you're still breathing. In one piece…" Maybe he got the timing off just a little bit. But then he spots the barely there peek at Dean's arm. "So, still wearing the Mark of Cain? Wonderful!"

Dean takes another step forward and Crowley backs up.

"How'd you get in?" Dean's hand grips the demon knife and it draws Crowley's eyes. "Because then I'm going to kill me the King of Hell and demon proof this place again."

"King?" Wash squawks and points to Badger. "You're a King?" he can't help but laugh which seems to annoy the Hunters and Demon King.

"Yes." Crowley turns to Wash and shows his red eyes. "Dìyù zhī wáng." It makes the human stop and stare.

"Nǐ shì shé."

Crowley turns to River and spots his little surprise standing beside her, both girls still holding hands and smiles.

"Zhǐyǒu zài tèshū chǎnghé." He takes a few steps towards them when Sam and Dean get in the way. "Oh come on. I done paid for the girl." He sorta winces and clears his throat but it doesn't change he's still not quite rid of his… uh… 'accent'.

"You?" Sam glances at Wash then to Símon, because they'd said 'Badger' had paid for the girl. "He's 'Badger'."

"Yes." Símon nods, standing beside River protectively.

"What is she?" Dean catches the slight shift in Crowley that makes him nervous. "What do you want with her? What's so important?"

"Oh now." Crowley turns and finds Bobby standing in his way so he turns right back and shrugs. "She's the best of both, boys." He's really pleased its worked out so far, even with the changes. He hasn't entirely figured out everything that's changed but he's hoping its been enough that the future he's just come from wont be happening. Again.

"Of what?" Bobby snaps at his back.

"She's got some grace." Crowley smiles at their looks of surprise but he's looking forward to this next part; "A little Demon too…"

'Oh that's just perfect! Hah!'

"Only one of her in the verse." And again, Crowley winces but shrugs. "Agh, don't mind the colloquialism. It'll be gone soon enough. Now," he takes a breath and claps his hands together. "You make sure there's no damage to my Lady Knight-."

"The what?!"

"Demon and Angel?"

Crowley grows annoyed with the questions flying at him from all directions very quickly but the only reason he doesn't just leave is because he still needs the Winchesters to keep watch over his ace.

"Oy! Does it look as though I'm a damn Cortex?" he rolls his eyes because the Hunters wont know what the hell he means. "Wikipedia. Listen," he orders and jabs a finger towards Dean. "I've only just gotten back and there are things I need to fig-." he bites his tongue on that and starts over. "Important things I need to do. So while I'm busy working. You two, keep an eye on my little winged knight."

"In what Twilight episode are you living in?" Dean scoffs. "I don't take orders, not from a black eyed bitch and not from the supposed King of Hell."

Crowley smiles. "Oh come on, Dean. You've been my bitch…" he backs up at Dean's lunge and appears in the kitchen, safely away from the angry Hunter.

"Son of a bitch!"

"There are ladies present." Crowley tisks as he smiles at the girls. "Sam too." He likes the clenched jaw and silence from Moose, he's feeling happy. Extremely happy to be back, to be there with them. "I want you safe and ready to kick some ass. Winged or black eyed, I'm not picky."

"Protect her from who?" Sam moves in front of River again but she steps over and keeps staring at Crowley.

"That, well…" he laughs and stretches again, red eyes flashing and sighs. "Its does feel good. Being back. This is great. Really."

"…lenses." Símon mutters with a shake of his head. "Some sort of lenses that refract light and change the color…"

"Oh look." Crowley chortles, he's mildly amused by Símon. "I'm a demon. King of Hell. And this is Earth That Was. Before it all went to shit and what's left of the human race went into the verse, terra forming new homes and lived out of spaceships, not worthy of even that title."

"That's…not…possible." Símon shakes his head, frowning. "How is that possible?"

"That's more of a complicated explanation." Crowley shrugs. "You don't need to know."

"How?! Earth That Was…"

"A spell." Crowley rolls his eyes seeing the incredulous expression on Simon's face. He points to River. " Ask her. Am I lying?"

"He needed all of us." River understood, she'd thought it was best to just go along, that's how it was supposed to have been. And so it had.

"Pieces to the spell. Moonbrain to make the bridge from there to here. And … Of course, I'd have preferred Mal but you did just fine."

"Mal?" Wash echoes with some surprise.

"Well, he's very self-sacrificing when it comes to his crew. But Símon did just fine." Crowley shrugs. "And you."

"Me?" Wash squacks. He's not sure he likes the attention he's getting from Badger.

"I needed a pilot." Crowley tisks, finger wagging, then smiles. "Too bad you crashed. Hey, at least its not the one that kills you."

River gasps. "Ó shàngdì ràng wǒ yīkuài shítou."

"No, no. It's not time for that. Not here. Maybe not ever again, hmm?" Crowley waits a beat to see that River understands him and nods. "I knew what you were…"

"She's just a girl." Símon places both hands on River's shoulders pulling her closer to him.

"A crazy girl, yes. And I should be thanking you." Crowley smiles at her, ignoring the others. "For chiming the hour, of course. It was time I picked up my little knight-."

The shot startles them all. River covers her ears and allows Símon to cover her, Wash just squacks in shock but the Hunters rush into the kitchen, too late to catch the King of Hell.

"Oy! You two should be more hospitable." Crowley yells from the living room. "After all, we haven't had the pleasure of each others company in a… well, its been ages."

"Are you all crazy?!" Símon exclaims. He's looking at all of them, angry and confused but he knows these men are not safe to be around. "You. Take us back." He demands of Badger. "This was not part of the job, I never agreed to… to - time travel! No, you take us back. I want my life-."

"Which one?" Crowley cuts in. "Which life, Doc? You want your fancy house and social standing, everything perfectly organized before you tossed it away looking for your little sister? Or the one after? Hiding on that boat that somehow still flies with the lot of you, following Mal. Running from the Alliance, hoping they just leave you be… Patching up Jayne, or Mal or Zoë. Can't do anything about your little moonbrain. There's nothing to put back and you know it. So what's so great about that life?"

There's a moment of silence and Símon tries to hide his feelings but shame is very clearly written all over him.

"It's the one he's supposed to have." River's soft voice draws Simon's attention. She can see it on his face, the shame and sorrow because he knows there's nothing more he can do for her, to change what was done. But he's angry too and though he tries not to be resentful, Símon knows he could have lived a very different life.

"If only…" River whispers.

"And you," Crowley points to the silent girl. "Behave." He looks at Dean and Sam. "You keep my girl safe. I want her back as I leave her. Undamaged."

"I'm not your lackey." Dean protests. "Take them back. All of 'em."

"Dean." Sam protests.

"What?" he snaps. "You heard 'im, didn't you?"

"Which part?" Bobby walks over to the quiet girl Crowley says is a bit of both and stares at her. The King of Hell … says she's both; demon and angel… he can't say much about the angels, guesses they could be as bad as demons but there's the fact an angel brought Dean back. An angel pulled him out of Hell and, yeah, they've been yanking on their strings ever since but, well… it was angel who brought back the only other idjit he's ever loved like a son.

"They don't belong." She can see it, what the Father wont say, even though the sons will. She knows they wont understand her, what she is or what she can be… She doesn't know it herself. The things the angel told her, what she saw and what she knows but doesn't know she knows… there's a lot to do, more than she wants to think of. She hasn't figured out her exact place, what she can't tell them and what she should…

Crowley's patience has run out. "I have things to do-."

"Don't care." Dean snaps. "You aint leaving them with us. I'm not taking care of your… whatever." He glares.

"Rågnå." And that's all Crowley manages to get out before he has a small hand clamped like a vice on his throat.

Dean is surprised, as much as everyone else. They hadn't seen her move, she was just… there. And Bobby's wondering how the hell she did it, if he'd actually seen the faint glimmer of light before she'd just disappeared.

"Don't think she likes that name." Dean notes, though he's staring intently, the gun in his hand gripped tightly and ready. If it even works on her…

"No." she says before letting go.

Crowley stumbles away from her, surprised and just a bit angry with her. The first words he tries to speak hurt so bad he coughs and there's no mistaking the puff of ice that comes out of him. He glares and that's it.

The King of Hell leaves.

SPN


End file.
